Improvement in machines for knitting shoe-lacings



UNITED STATES NATHL. W. WESTCOTT, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, AND HENRYL.

PATENT OFFICE.

WALCOTT, OF CHARLES RIVER VILLAGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO JAMES Gr.PAYSON, OF FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR KN'ITTING SHOE-LACINGS, SLC.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 4 S,7, dated July 18,1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we,vNATHANIEL lV. VEST- GOTT, of Providence, in thecounty of Providence and State ot' Rhode Island, and HENRY L. VVALCOTT,of Charles River Village, in the county of Norfolk'and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Machines forKnitting an Improved Article for Lacings, Bindings, Sto., of yarn takendirectly from thecop; and we do hereby declare that the following is afull,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, making' part of this specilication, in which-Figure l is a plan otour improved machine. Fig. 2 is av front elevationand section of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan of the cams and theirconnections that operate the knitting instrument. Fig. et is a plan, andFig. 5 is a side view, oftheknitting-needle, (double size.) Figs. 6, 7,and 8 are details illustrating the operation of the needle and itsauxiliaries in forining the stitch. Fig. 9 is aplan ot the cam and itsconnections that operate the take-up7 that winds the oord or braid asfast as it is knitted. Fig. 10 is aside elevation ofthe take-upmechanism detached.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts i'n all thefigures.

Our invention consists in operating a needle with a spring tongue orbeard by the aid of certain instrumentalities so as to knit a number ofstrands of yarn coming direct from the spun cops (and without twistingthe same together) into a knotted cord composed of a chain ofloops,thesamefurnishinganimproved article for lacin gs, bindings, andfor other purposes.

Heretofore it has heen found necessary to spool and twist the requirednumber ot' strands from several cops inlto one string before it couldthe tongue or the yarn was broken and the operation of the machinethereby deranged, and our improvement is calcula ted to guard againstthis difficulty, and to knit the yarns directly from the cops with greatrapidity.

In Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, A is the needle, having aspring-tongue, b, at its extremity, and d is a looping-pin, arrangedparallel to the shank ot' the said needle, both being confined in themetal block B. This block is formedwith a square neck, B', by which itis confined beneath the cap e, and held rmly in the needle-bar D on theslide E, which re! ciprocates horizontally on the upper plate, G, ot'the machine, as indicated by the arrow, by motion communicated to thestud t thereon from the groove-cam H formed on the ripper face of thecylindrical portion Hf, forming part of and set eccentrically on therevolving toothed disk, as seen in Fig. 3, as it revolves. One or moreneedles may be confined and operate in the same needle-bar. In thedrawings two are represented, both operating simultaneously by the samemechanism.

A rest-har, F, Fig. 7, extends directly be neath the said needle atright angles there` to, and is supported at both ends by the uprightstandsff, as shown in Fig. 2, and there is an opening in the said har,directly under the needles, through which the knitted cord is drawn fromthe needle by the take-up meehanism.

The chain ot` loops composing the knitted cord is formed by thrustingsuccessive loops through preceding ones, which are cast successivelyupon the needle, and the office of the looping-pin d is to double theyarn to form such loops in the manner which will presently be explained.I

In connection with the spring-tongue needle A a shear or guard, n, Figs.7 and 8, is used, which has a movement across and directly above theshank ot' needle, for the purpose ot' doubling the yarn overthelooping-pin and carrying it beneath the tongue ot' the needle to caston the new loop, and to lift the point of the tongue while it is passingover the said loop. This shear is a thin metal blade formed, as shown,on the end of the rod N, which is sccured to the sliding bar S, slidingin bearings formed at the top ofthe stands f f, by motion transmittedthrough the lever C, pivoted at e', and the connection C from therevolving cam l', Figs. 2 and 3. In the upper end of the rod N there isan eye or yarn-guide, c c, and another, c', through the shear n, through which the yarn (represented in red lines in the several figures)passes from the cops to the needle.

Besides the shear a, above described, a depressor, h, Fig. 6, is usedconnection with the spring-tongue b ofthe needle, for the purpose ofdepressing the pointof the tongue beneath the surface of the shank afterit has passed over the newly-formed loop, so that the loop already onthe needle may pass over the ton gue and be cast off in the mannershown, and to this end the said depressor is secured beside the rod N onthe sliding bar S, which, by a further sliding movement to that requiredfor placing the shear n in position, and after that instrument hasperformed its function, places the depressor over the tongue of theneedle, which, by its receding movement, is drawn under the depressor inthe act of casting off the stitch or loop, as shown in Fig. 6, followingwhich action the sliding bar carries both the depressor and shear pastthe end of the needle and looping-pin preparatory to doubling the yarnover the latter to form another loop by motion transmitted through thelevers C and D', pivoted at g and p, and the connection J from therevolving cam L, Figs. 2 and 3.

At each operation of the machine to form and cast ofi' a loop or link ofthe chain the take-up mechanism acts to draw the additional loop or linkfrom the needle, and thereby determine the length of the loop and thecompactness ot' the chain. This take-up consists of a roller, K, Figs. 1and 10, turning in bearings formed in the stands M, attached to thelower plate, R, of the machine and operated by the ratchet l and pawls r1^ on the lever V by motion transmitted through the connection .r andlever W, pivoted at u, from the cam P and spring Q, Fig. 9.

The several operating-cams H, I, L, and P, above described, are securedon the upright shaft X, having a bearing at each end in the plates Grand R, and are revolved (in the direction indicated by the arrows) bymeans of the bevel-gears y by power applied to the drivingwheel Z.

l/Vith the several parts constructed and arranged as described in theposition shown in Fig. 1, and with the yarn (shown in red lines) passingthrough the guides c and c and under the looping-pin, the needleadvances through the loop already formed until the shear a may pass bythe point ofthe tongue clearly, which movement next follows, thuscarrying and doubling the yarn over the looping-pin d (from left toright) and placing the shear n over the needle, which next retreats, andwhen the point of the tongue meets the shear it strikes and slides overthe upper surface thereof in the manner shown in Figs. 7 and 8, therebyseparating its 'point from and carrying it over the loose yarn beneathit, which is to form the loop, after which the shear slides aside andthe depressor h is placed over the needle, which immediately depressesthe point of the tongue upon the loose yarn and permits the loop on theshank of the retreating needle to pass over the tongue to the end of theneedle and then cast off by the action of the take-up roller K, whichnext follows, drawing the loop down over the end of the needle and thechain or cord through the hole in the rest-bar. The shear and depressorthen retreat and move past the end of the needle, carrying the yarnbeneath the looping-pin, which being done the needle again advances,preparatory to forming the next loop, in the manner before described.

We are aware that a similar needle with a spring-tongue has been usedbefore, and it is not therefore claimed.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of the needlebar D, carrying one or more needles,with the rest-bar F, constructed, arranged, and operating substantiallyas described.

2. Thelooping-pind,oritsequivalent,in com bination with the needle A,and operating substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The shear or guard a, or its equivalent, operating substantially asand for the purpose described.

4. The depressor h, or its equivalent, in com-- bination with the needleA, operating substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

5. The mode of operation described, by which the point oftheneedle-tongue is irst positively raised and carried over the loose yarnswhich are to form the succeeding loop by the interposition ofa suitableinstrument and afterward immediately depressed to the requisite extent-to-permit the loop already formed to be castoff, substantially asdescribed.

N. W. WESTGOTT. HENRY L. WALCOTT. Witnesses to signature of N. Westcott:

IsAAc A. BRowNELL, SAMUEL BARRATT. VVi'tnesses to signature of H. L.NValcott:

GEORGE M. HANoKs, J AMES W. HoR'roN.

